Bowling shoes



Dec. 5, 1961 M. GOLDENBERG 3,011,272

BOWLING SHOES Filed June 12, 1959 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

MKJHAEL GOLDENBERG ATTORNEYS.

Dec. 5, 1961 M. GOLDENBERG 3,01

' BOWLING SHOES Filed June 12, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY 27.665 C ATTORNEYS.

MICHAEL GOLDENBE'RG I United States Patent 3,011,272 BOWLING SHOES Michael Goldenberg, 3210 Cherry St., Philadelphia, Pa. Filed June 12, 1959, Ser. No. 820,025 1 Claim. (CI. 36-25) This invention relates to a pair of bowling shoes and has as its object the provision of a pair of bowling shoes which supply the proper gliding and traction forces required by the bowler.

It is well known that in the sport of bowling which is played indoors upon a smooth floor that considerable difiiculty is experienced by the bowlers .because of the great slipping tendency of ordinary walking shoes. Moreover,.the use of ordinary walking shoes is further objectionable astending to roughen a bowling alley floor to such an extent that the smooth surface required for accurate play is destroyed.

Additionally, the success of a bowler depends largely on the action of his feet in approaching the foul line of a bowling alley. He should be able to slide his feet on the runway as he nears the foul line and also be able to fix his feet firmly at the proper time so as to prevent sliding over the foul line and enable him to deliver the ball accurately. Moreover, sudden stoppage of the sliding foot should be avoided to preserve the bowlers balance.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a pair of bowling shoes so constructed that the bowler may obtain the desirable gliding action by merely shifting his weight to the sole of one of said shoes and may subsequently terminate the gliding action by either shifting some of his weight to the heel of said shoe or to the sole and heel of the other shoe of said pair.

It is a further object of the present invention to provide a pair of bowling shoes of relatively simple construction and low cost which will supply the proper gliding and traction action whenever desired by the bowler.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of this invention will be readily appreciated as the same 3,011,272 Patented Dec. 5, 1961 is generally shown at 10 in FIG. 1. The shoes are generally constructed as conventional bowling shoes except for the soles and heels thereof as hereinafter disclosed. Shoe 12 for traction purposes with leather tip 13 has a rubber sole 14 and a rubber heel 16. Shoe 18 for gliding purposes as .shown in FIG. 2 has a leather sole 20 having an extension 21 which is continued over and onto the forward part of a rubber heel 22. A front portion of heel 22 is cut away to form a flange 24 to which extension 21 is attached. In this manner the presence of leather extension 21 lessens the braking action of rubber heel 22 thereby permitting said heel to slip or glide and thus enhance the gliding action of shoe 18 while preserving the cushioning effect of rubber heel 22.

In making shoes for. a right handed bowler, the right shoe (shoe 12) will have a rubber sole and heel for traction purposes, while the left shoe (shoe 18) will have a leather sole and a combination heel 22 of rubber and leather for gliding purposes. The parts would be reversed in constructing shoes for a left handed bowler.

A second embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. In this embodiment the shoe providing the traction action is the same as shoe 12 of FIG. 1. The shoe providing the gliding action is indicated at 38 and has a leather sole 40 having an extension 41 which is continued over and onto the forward part of a rubber heel 42. A front portion of heel 42 is cut away to form a flange 44 to which extension 41 is attached. Indentations or grooves 46 and 48 are formed in heel 42 and serve as an aid to the bowler in maintaining balance during the release of the bowling ball. The cushioning effect of the rubber heel is preserved. In this embodiment, the leather extension 41 lessens the braking action of rubber heel 42 thereby permitting said heel 42 to slip or glide and thus enhance the gliding action of shoe 38.

becomes better understood by reference to the following ment of the shoe which provides the gliding action, the

shoe providing the traction action being the same as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a view taken along the lines 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of a third embodiment of the shoe which provides the gliding action, the shoe providing the traction action being the same as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a bottom plan view of the shoe of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a view taken along the lines 88 of FIG. 7;

FIG. 9 is a bottom plan view of a fourth embodiment of the shoe which provides the gliding action, the shoe providing the traction action being the same as shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 10 is a view taken along the lines 10-10 of FIG. 9.

Specific reference is now made to the drawings wherein like reference characters are used for like elements throughout.

A pair of bowling shoe having soles and heels in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention A third embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 6, 7 and 8. In this embodiment the shoe providing the traction action is the same as shoe 12 of FIG. 1. The shoe providing the gliding action is indicated at 58 and has a leather sole 60 positioned in the ordinary manner. A rubber heel 62 is provided having a front portion thereof cut away to form a flange 64 to which a leather insert 65 is attached. In this embodiment the leather insert 65 lessens the braking action of rubber heel 62 thereby permitting said heel 62 to slip or glide and thus enhance the gliding action of shoe 58 while preserving the cushioning effect of rubber heel 62.

A fourth embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. In this embodiment the shoe providing the traction action is the same as shoe 12 of FIG. 1. The shoe providing the gliding action is indicated at 78 and has a leather sole 80 positioned in the ordinary manner. A leather heel 82 built from plies 83 provided having a rear portion thereof cut away to form a flange 84 to which a rubber insert 85 is attached. In this embodiment the exposed portion of leather heel 82 lessens the braking action of rubber heel 82 thereby permitting said heel 82 to slip or glide and thus enhance the gliding of shoe 78. The rubber insert 85 maintains said gliding action within desirable limits and also provides a cushioning eflect.

The fourth embodiment may be further modified by providing leather sole 80 with an extension as in the first two embodiments of the present invention (extensions 21 and 41). Moreover, longitudinal areas of rubber from rubber insert 85 may be removed to form grooves (exposing a portion of a ply 83) as in the second embodiment of the present invention (grooves 46 and 48). Said grooves serve as an aid to the bowler in maintaining balance during the release of the bowling ball.

Obviously many modifications and variations of the present invention are possible in the light of the above teachings. It is, therefore, to be understood that within the scope of the appended claim, the invention may be practiced otherwise than as specifically described.

What is claimed as the invention is:

A bowling shoe including a leather sole and a heel of tractionma-terial, said heel having a breast and a ground engaging face, an extension on said sole secured over the breast of said heel and beneath the forward ground engaging face of said heel thereby permitting the remaining ground engaging face of said heel to be exposed to provide a composite heel of leather and traction material.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 340,358 Raymond Apr. 20, 1886 4 Bradford Feb. 5, 1895 Jones Apr. 29, 1902 Small Dec. 1, 1903 Schwartz Oct. 18, 1910 Johns Dec. 1, 1914 Farnan Apr. 13, 1926 Mattison Aug. 11, 1931 Gilkerson Apr. 5, 1932 Pietzuch Oct. 1, 1935 Lamb May 31, 1938 Moen Jan. 5, 1943 Chiodo May 20, 1947 Kaufmann Apr. 13, 1948 McCord June 2, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS France Sept. 7, 1914 --France Mar. 21, 1951 

